Raging Storms
by RukiaRae
Summary: Raven is princess on Azarath, an emotionless planet. Robin is sent to examine a prophecy and unwittingly is roped into sneaking Raven out of Azarath and keeping her safe.  But what happens when emotions threaten their plan? AU rob/rae
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a new story idea of mine, wanted to get the first chapter written out so that way I wouldn't forget the plot.**

**Enjoy!**

**~RukiaRae**

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><p>"I am from a perfect race," he recited, "Azaratheans have perfected the art of emotional control. Since the first High Priestess, Azar, led the band of rogue humans to the other dimension, settling them on Azarath, we have been taught how to control our emotions. All of us undergo rigorous training, having to pass several exams to demonstrate our proficiency. The reason this was put in place was for the 'Specials', or those who contained true power. However, everyone was forced to take up the same training as they did, for how could the Specials be expected to contain their emotions if they lived in an emotionally free society? It would be chaos.<p>

Generations of this training have given us a unique, truly objective perspective. This makes us superior to every other race, including our human ancestors. We are superior in military achievements, technological advances, special talents, and purification rituals. We are no longer dominated by our emotions, and therefore, are able to extend our power further than even the strongest races, including the Tameranians who are best known for their strength."

_"And what was Azarath's only weakness?"_ the proctor asked.

"The government. Society used to be governed by the Royals. This proved detrimental when Trigon the Terrible wrested power from the Royals. Because Trigon was able to take power, to take the Royals's seat, it was his. He used his absolute power to terrorise and enslave the Azarathean people. It wasn't until he was locked away in the interdimensional prison with the help of Arella that order was finally restored. Arella approved of, and even helped, give many of the powers of the Royals to parliament. And, though the Royals still have quite a bit of sway, they are no longer unchallenged."

_"Now for part two,"_ drawled the proctor.

Up in the questioner's box, Raven looked down at the poor young student getting examined. It was clear that he was trying to feign bravery, but he was too worried. His emotions were rolling off in noticeable waves. By looking at him she could tell that, like herself, he wasn't fully Azarathean. He looked to be a mix of provincial Azarathean and Tameranean. This would be harder for him, as it had been for her. Both Tameraneans and Earthlings were meant to feel, and for the Special Tameranians, their powers were inextricably linked to their emotions. If he was a Special, life on Azarath would be incredibly difficult.

"Would you like some tea?" asked the technician, taking Raven from her thoughts.

She nodded. That was the one thing she hated about impersonating Rorek, she could barely speak. As the princess of Azarath, the monks and the government had declared it unsafe for Raven to be without a bodyguard at all times after an attempted kidnapping. It was believed that the kidnapper was not fully Azarathean nor fully in control of his emotions yet, so he was presumed to be a student. While it was unclear the purpose, there was much speculation, but the two main theories were he resented her rise to power and felt that she wasn't truly a Royal or he knew that her parentage proved a great risk for Azerath.

Rorek was assigned to the task as her bodyguard after a long process. He too was half human, born on Earth and whisked away to Azarath in infancy. He possessed no unique abilities (Azar always said that the humans could no longer be Specials due to the spiritual connection they had long since lost),but he was skilled in every weapon and had learned how to fortify and protect his mind (with the help of some enchantments Raven prepared for him). And Raven was not totally vulnerable, either. So, often, Raven and Rorek would dress similarly to further throw off any potential attackers and to allow herself more freedom to walk about undetected. So, to accomplish this, she had long taken to dying her hair an inky black and cutting it around ear-length. Hair this short meant it would curl, just as Rorek's was prone to do. Rorek also wore loose white, Victorian style shirts. For the longest time, Raven thought he wore the same style shirt every day, however, being around him all the time meant she eventually began to notice things about him, including the fact that his shirts were differentiated by the pleats and ruffles near the collar. He also wore his long, military jacket lined with golden buttons that was part of the Azarathean military uniform (A/N: Basing his character on Raven from Phantom Planet. Look it up on google if you want a clearer picture). He, unlike most, left the black jacket unbuttoned. He wore dark pants and Victorian boots. Therefore, Raven adopted the same uniform when acting as him. It was easy to hide underneath all of the layers.

It was very difficult to change other things, however. For instance, they were of different heights. He was about 7 inches taller than she was, which posed a problem. Raven usually wore heels that she had enchanted to look like his shoes, but some of the best Specials could see through the basic enchantment, but it generally served. Their faces were also a bit different, hers was less angular than his. However, they looked close enough where it mattered- the hair, the blue eyes, and the height (after her adjustments). Besides, today it hardly mattered. These technicians had never been visited by someone so high up in the government, let alone the Princess's personal guard, so the details were like to go unnoticed.

"Your tea, Sir."

Raven accepted the tea graciously, taking a cautious sip. As expected, the tea was horribly done, however, she appreciated the gesture and forced herself to drink it all.

"So what do you think of this boy?" asked the head technician.

"He is learning, but he still has a lot to learn," she commented in her best impersonation of Rorek's voice while watching the rest of the child's examination. She was surprised that it sounded pretty close to what he actually sounded like. _Good. _

Gazing back out, she could see the child was being tested on the combat skills that he had learned up to this point. Before she could really assess his skills, her personal communicator went off.

She looked to the other men in the cabin, "I must be off, but thank-you for your hospitality."

With that she turned, walking out of the testing compartment. Then, she continued to her chambers, at a slow pace. She had two ringers for her communicator, one especially for emergencies and the other for when Rorek deemed that she had enough time roaming about. He was always generous about the time he allowed, today she was off for 5 hours, but he always did want her back to ensure her safety. And, as per their deal, when he called her she would return to his side.

Walking through the streets of gilded buildings, Raven marvelled at Azarath, not for the first time. The river, which cut through the city, was a bright, sparkling blue. She was in the government sector currently and these buildings were all decorated with lavish amounts of silver, the rarest and most expensive in Azarath. Unlike their Earling ancestors, Gold was seen as cheap, gaudy, and tasteless and was worth nothing here, a feature for which Raven was glad. The silver was more of a calm element compared to the brightness of gold. And the silver perfectly complemented the blue waters and deep purple sky (at least at sunset). Walking quickly, Raven finally reached the palace, an imitation of the Palace of Versailles. The back of the Palace was also on the lake and offered a gorgeous view. The mansion was huge, too big for Raven's taste, however, she seldom used all of the rooms. Therefore, it was as though she was in a small apartment since she only really used 5 rooms with any regularity. Upon her arrival, she was greeted by Rorek, who looked relieved, as always, to see she was well.

"What's on my schedule for the rest of today?" she asked him.

"Just a meeting with the monks in an hour. They will receive you at the Sacred Temple," he supplied.

She nodded, "Best go change, then."

In her chambers she got to work. She found a darker blue dress and, before putting it on, slipped into the skeleton for the dress and her petticoat. She then donned the dress using her powers to levitate it over her petite frame. The dress was a solid blue with 3/4 sleeves and a small lace collar. Down the centre of the dress was a very thick deeper blue stripe that began from the base of her throat to the floor. She left her heels that she had been wearing as Rorek on and went to her vanity, using her powers to comb her curly ebony hair into a manageable style. That was difficult considering it was only ear-length and there wasn't much give to her hair. She sighed, this was as good as she was like to look. Walking back, slowly of course as not to trip ungracefully due to the heaviness of the dress, she found Rorek. She could see the displeasure on his face-he would rather her stay dressed like him.

Answering his non-verbal question, she shrugged, "The monks are powerful enough to see through my charms and it's disrespectful to them not to go as myself."

He sighed, knowing it was no use to argue. He then picked up his large axe, the one that was as tall as he with blades at both ends (though the blade at the bottom end was smaller than the massive one on the top). The axe was simply decorated, with just a purple bandage wrapped around its handle. The axe spoke for itself, it was large, intimidating, and pure silver (**A/N:** I'm picturing the one from the End part 3 that the executioner fights Slade with, only less dreary and a bit more fit for a royal guard). The most impressive thing was how well Rorek could wield it. She had seen him train with it and moved just as quickly and gracefully with it as with any other weapon. His speed was unmatched.

Drawing herself back to the task at hand, she took his hand and teleported them to the Sacred Temple. The Sacred Temple of Azar was constructed in Azar's memory and was not lacking in splendor. The building was built of pale, veined marble. It stretched out far and low to the ground with three spires, two at the ends and one large one at the middle over the large entrance. The spires were made of silver and glinted in the last rays of the sun. All three of the spires scraped the skies. The structure was enormous, the inside was characterised by arched ceilings. There were no doors on the temple, nor windows, so air blew through the structure, making it even colder. Inside, on the right side, was a huge marble statue of Azar, with a gleaming silver dress. At her throat was an amethyst as big as a fist. Above her floated a suspended crystal that was at least 30 metres long, though judging from her vantage point at the ground, she knew she had to have miscalculated. Still, it was a behemoth. It was clear, yet at its widest point was a silver belt with purple inscriptions that glowed, casting purple light down onto Azar. At the base of the statue was an altar, with incense burning sending an exotic aroma throughout the palace. An aroma that could be found no where else, as far as Raven knew. The Azealas the incense was made from were very rare. In front of the altar, several monks robed in shades of blue were chanting. Raven waited patiently, knowing better than to disturb the monks at their prayer.

Finally, after they had finished, they were approached by seven monks robed in white silks. Raven didn't know much about the monks, save that they were excellent at purification and that they had different colour robes to distinguish each of the different levels of monk. The monks in training were in dark blue and wore roughspun robes. The novices wore a lighter blue. The journeyman monks, who had each made 3 pilgrimages, wore a shade of aquamarine. The masters wore an icy blue framed by a white border. And the archmasters, with whom she was about to speak, wore white in symbol of their enlightened status.

The eldest of the sages approached her with his other comrades behind in a 'v' formation, with him as the point.

"Princess," they echoed before bowing deeply.

"You may rise," replied Raven.

That was the one annoyance Raven found to being a princess-all of the bowing. She understood they were trying to be courteous, but somehow, the bowing seemed too much.

"You wished to see me?" began Raven.

The elder nodded, "May we speak somewhere...more private. This is for you alone."

Raven began to walk, however, Rorek broke in, "Wait, I have to be there at all times."

Raven rolled her eyes, his sense of duty, while necessary for a guard, was at times rather unnecessary.

"I will be fine and we shant be long," she said, giving him a cool glare- a signal him to push the matter further.

He had a good read of her, and thankfully, did not challenge her here. She turned and followed the monk. He was incredibly old, must have been around 900. Azaratheans lived for about 1,000 years, give or take a century. Due to his age, he walked incredibly slowly, and out of respect, Raven walked even slower. It seemed forever to her until they reached the Temple Gardens. The Gardens were beautiful and held several hundred types of flowers and had statues decorating the flower bushes at intervals.

"What's so urgent?" she questioned.

"We have done our research. The prophecy is true. He will come for you and you must flee."

Raven felt a pit in her stomach, she hated the idea of leaving her home. Where would she go? No other place had the same perfection and beauty that Azarath possessed. Still, she would talk about it later with Rorek, he usually helped in times like this.

Taking a deep breath, Raven asked monotonously, "Now what, then?"

"We have contacted the government. They will find a place suitable for you, they are doing research now. Wait until they find someplace for you. Then you must leave in the utmost secrecy."

Raven nodded, the news hit her harder than expected.

"I'm truly sorry, Child. But there is no more I can do for you but pray."

He then tottered off, counting his prayer beads and chanting once more. Raven allowed herself a few moments in the garden to collect herself before going back to Rorek.

"We need to leave and I need to discuss some things with you," she stated, holding out her hand to him. Plus, she really needed to meditate.

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><p><strong>What do you think so far? I hope you like it, though it may be awhile until I update this one since I have so many other stories to finish. But please drop me a review and let me know what you think! :)<strong>

**~RukiaRae**


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you wish to speak about?" he asked, setting his axe down in its usual spot.

"The monks have told me very disturbing news. The prophecy is true- I am the only way Trigon can release himself from his prison and he is coming for me. The monks are arranging a safe passage for me. I believe they are currently investigating places to send me."

He nodded solemnly, "I am sorry to suggest this, however, you should leave as soon as possible."

She sighed, "I know, I know. Try telling them that."

"No need. I'll sneak you out. Tomorrow."

"But how?" she asked, curiosity seeping into her monotone voice.

"I'm working on that bit still. But you need to leave with the utmost haste."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"You may enter," called Raven.

One of her guards, in the silver armour embellished with the blooming Azeala tree in amethyst, entered the study.

"Speak," she commanded.

"We have a captive of Tameran who refuses to speak. We do not know her origin or her purpose for coming. She just stumbled into the government sector almost frantically and does not seem to process what is happening. What should we do with her, your grace?"

"Bring her here. We will question her and decide where to go from there," she replied coolly.

It was uncustomary for her to personally speak to a prisoner, but something seemed off about this girl's behaviour. No one just wandered into the government sector. Raven felt that this story went deeper and she intended to find out. Just because she would leave on the morrow did not mean she would neglect her duties. She would make everything appear perfectly fine.

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><p>It was not long before the alien girl was brought to her office. The girl wore handcuffs that travelled up most of her arm. The silver of her cuffs oddly complemented her short purple dress that had matching silver seams and a silver 'v' shaped belt. Or would have had not her dress been covered in mud. Her legs and arms were scraped. Upon her head was a silver piece that was shaped like a curved 'm'. It followed the contours of her face but looked to also have dirt caking its surface. Her emerald eyes, narrowed in anger, stood out against her tan skin, made darker by splotches of mud. She also had a fiery, tangled red mane that trailed behind her. In short, she looked a little worse for wear.<p>

"Who are you and why are you here?" asked Raven in flawless Tamaranean.

This took the girl by surprise, but she quickly regained herself.

"I must speak with the princess, it is urgent."

"What is the matter that you wish to discuss with her. I am sorry, but I cannot permit you to speak to her unless you provide me with a vague idea of what you wish to discuss," said Raven, calmly. It could be dangerous giving her identity away to a rogue alien.

"I am here on behalf of the Tameranean Royal Family, that is all I can say," she answered.

A quick scan of her mind proved her to be telling the truth. She was Kori'andr, the youngest daughter to the King of Tameran.

"Very well," began Raven, "You are in the presence of the Princess of Azerath. I am she."

"Do you have proof of this?" she asked, doubt evident in her face.

Raven used her powers to levitate the royal seal from her desk not 1 metre away.

"The royal seal of Azerath, used to ratify and lend authenticity to important documents."

The girl nodded, her tone suddenly shifting from commanding to pleading, "Tameran has received news that supporters of the Daemon Trigon will attack Tameran soon and we seek aid from our closest planet and trusted allies."

Raven sighed, now was not the time.

"I am on limited time for I will soon be leaving to an undisclosed location. Yours is not the only planet threatened. We can work on a treatise tonight and sign it tomorrow, however, I do not know how much weight this document will carry after I leave. You may have to seek an audience out with parliament."

The girl nodded, it was not what she was hoping for but it was better than nothing.

"I would still like to do the signing of the treaty, as a precaution," she timidly said.

Raven understood the underlying meaning. _A paper promise is better than words. Words are like wind and can be blown away at the slightest inconvenience. _"Then so shall it be. I shall work on drafting the terms of this contract tonight."_  
><em>

Using her telepathic ability, Raven summoned the guards.

"Would you please take Miss Kori'andr to chambers befitting her royal rank. Also, prepare a bath so that she may clean her wounds. I shall arrange for a dress to be delivered as well."

They nodded, leading the Tameranean princess to her quarters.

The instant the door closed, Rorek whispered, "You do realise that when they discover you have left in such haste, many will deem you a traitor to the planet and claim that you work under the guise of your father? There is no way the treatise will be upheld. It will be seen as a last minute thing put together by yourself to divide the Armed Forces of Azerath."

"I know, but I couldn't tell the poor girl no, not after all she had endured to arrive here," replied Raven, hoping he wouldn't question the motive knowing that it was an emotional one.

Being on the same page, he said, "Just be careful."

She nodded, "Thanks Rorek."

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><p>After supper, she returned to her study, sitting at the ornate desk of mahogany inlaid with silver designs of vines and trees. A stack of parchment had already been placed on the corner of her desk, probably by Rorek. She made a mental note to thank him.<p>

Taking the top sheet and armed with her trusty midnight quill and ebony ink, she began to write. The treatise didn't have to be a long one she knew, however it would take several rough drafts before she could be sure that she had worded everything properly and that there were no gaping loopholes left open. This would take most of the night she knew.

She still couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was doing this. The girl was sweet, sure, but Raven needed to protect herself against Trigon first and foremost. She was the key. She couldn't risk staying behind for a planet, no matter how many people wanted her to save it. And, unfortunately, without her there to see it through, the treatise would surely fail.

_Unless..._

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><p>Rorek paced his room, which located just off Raven's study. He could hear her quill scratching away into the late hours of the night. It was infuriating, like the click of the second hand on a clock. It was constant. It did not stop. And is was a constant reminder that he was losing time to formulate a plan.<p>

Ideally, he would sneak her out as quietly as possible, so she would have to be dressed like him. But the instant she would be gone, the instant people would notice and they would bring her back before she got far.

He groaned, he was only supposed to guard her, not come up with crafty plans to help her escape. She was supposed to be safe here, especially with his protection...

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><p>Exhausted and relieved, Raven crawled into her bed for what was like to be her last night of truly comfortable sleep. The bed was enchanted for the utmost comfort. Enchantments weren't hard to do, but they did take time and preparation. It was often difficult to remember the recipes for different enchantments, especially since Raven didn't specialise in the craft. Therefore, she needed books to help her enchantments turn out just right, a fact that now dismayed her.<p>

She got by with many things by using enchantments, however, she knew that she wouldn't be able to take too many books on her escape. Not only would it look suspicious that she would have half of her literary collection, but also it would be difficult to carry and travel with. She wished she had thought of enchanting a bag to carry the books and be weightless, but such an item could take weeks to prepare and do.

Besides, her time was better spent on the treatise. She could hopefully help out this princess and do one last good act as a Royal. Knowing she had made the right choice, Raven quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

It wasn't until her handmaid was shaking her awake that Raven remembered the plan she had meant to tell Rorek. Quickly getting dressed in Rorek-esque attire, she hurried to his room. Upon entering, she saw him hunched over his battle axe, sharpening it while completely lost in thought.

"Hello," she said, startling him from his thoughts.

"Oh, good morning," he replied.

"So I've thought of a great plan, but you're really going to have to help me out here."

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><p>He stumbled his way around the city, not familiar with the area at all. He missed knowing every inch of his Gotham City but knew the move had to be done. He couldn't forever be in the shadow of 'The World's Greatest Detective'. So he had done the only practical thing to escape the large bat-sized shadow-he'd moved.<p>

Jump City had a high crime rate, though it wasn't as notorious as Gotham. Still, it gave him ample opportunity to help others while making a name for and establishing himself.

Tonight seemed quiet, which was nice since he had no clue where anything was at. He made a mental note to spend the week dividing the city into sectors and getting to know each sector well. Richard looked around, unsure where he would stay for the time being. His foster father had sent him with a list of hotels that he could operate out of, however, living in a hotel and making that his base held no appeal for him. Especially after working in the bat cave. Maybe he could find some out of the way place or warehouse to set up base.

He squinted as he approached one of the main streets of Jump. On the corner was a triangular shaped pizza building that glowed brightly against the darker buildings next to it.

"DUDE! You're Robin!" He heard.

Turning around, he looked down expecting to see an awe-struck child that would ask for an autograph. He was not expecting a scrawny kid that could not be that much younger than himself with green skin and eyes. His face was covered with a mask that hid the upper half of his face.

He nodded at the odd fellow.

"Sir, reporting for duty!" the kid called, "Whatever you need help with, I'm there!"

"I don't need help," he snapped, despite having no place to go. Still, he disliked the thought of this kid sticking to him like a used piece of gum.

The kid's face look crestfallen. Robin sighed, _why can't I be an asshole?_ he thought.

"Okay, I do need a base of operations," Robin began, "However, if you're going to work with me, don't call me 'sir'."

The kid squeaked, "Wow! I have a flat not too far! You can totally use it si- I mean, Robin!"

"Great, thanks. What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"I'm Beastboy, sir! Er, I mean-," he said before Robin cut in with, "It's fine."

"Well, should I show you to the...the _secret base?_" asked Beastboy, whispering the last two words quite loudly.

Robin inwardly groaned but agreed. This kid was nice but not at all ready to be a crime fighter. Not to mention, he was incredibly immature and childish. Still, he was an asset in some respects. Beastboy had a place they could use and he knew the city much better.

_This might work, if he grows up a bit._

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><p>Raven had presented the contract to the princess and the result was favourable. The princess had agreed and they both had signed the treaty in the presence of the Royal guard.<p>

Raven looked down at the black and gold embroidered gown she was wearing. She felt stupid changing for an hour or so, but it had to be done. Raven needed the guard to believe that she wasn't dressing like Rorek today.

She intended to impersonate Rorek, down to arming herself with his trusty battle axe, to leave. Before leaving, she would enchant him to have her face. The enchantment wouldn't last long, only about a month, but it was definitely enough time to get her out without tipping off anyone. Rorek would impersonate her, and hopefully, have the glamour long enough to see the treaty upheld.

Especially since he had less then a month before he had to flee as well. The punishment for him would be death if he was ever caught. She hoped everything would work smoothly, otherwise, she would succeed only in getting her and the closest thing she had to a friend killed.

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><p><strong>Okay...so I saw this story in my list and couldn't resist writing a chapter for it. I'll still update Odds and Ends later. Also, I might actually bring my laptop to my camp job (previously I wasn't sure if I could because the camp had little space for valuable items) so I might be able to update during the summer. I'll keep you all updated!<strong>

**Review please!**

**~RukiaRae**


	3. Chapter 3

"Rorek, we need more time for the preparations, this glamour is going to be harder to make than I thought," she told him that afternoon when they had managed to sneak away from Raven's pressing engagements, "I need a week or so before we can do this."

His mouth set into a grim line, he was not happy, she knew.

"Look, I got this news yesterday. The government is slow, it'll be another year before they've decided where to place me. It's just a week, but the plan is still the same."

He nodded, "Alright. No more talk of this until you are prepared to go."

She nodded in return.

There was a knock at the door, startling them both.

"You may enter," drawled Raven, careful to keep her emotions in check. A knock at the door should not rattle her. Ever.

At once, her stylist rushed in, eager to prepare Raven for her most pressing engagement. Rorek was ushered away and told to keep busy. _He'll probably be off sharpening his axe and enjoying his last days with it _she thought, allowing herself a small smile at this thought.

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><p>Robin groaned, blindly groping for his ringing phone. A brief glance at the screen told him that it was 6:30am. <em>Only one person would be up so early <em>he thought with a sigh. It had only been two days and already his men-well, ex-mentor was calling him to check up on him.

"What?" he answered gruffly, hoping the sleepiness in his voice would go unnoticed.

"You're just waking up now?" asked Bruce in a stern voice. _Of course he knows.._

_"_Why are you calling?" he questioned, peevishly. He was not in the mood to be interrogated. It was no longer Bruce's business what he did.

"Well, I have an assignment for you, if you're settled in," began Bruce.

"You can't do it?"

"Robin, if I could, I would. I'm training another sidekick and Batgirl is down with the flu," he explained, "It was an assignment from the Justice League, but if you aren't up to it, I could ask someone else..."

_From the Justice League?! _

Robin became instantly more alert, though still uncoordinated as evidenced by his graceful stumbling to his desk. He turned on his laptop, ready to take notes.

"I'll do it. What's the assignment?"

"I'm arranging transport to the planet Azarath. The Justice League has heard word of a disturbing prophecy that could threaten the existence of our planet. Your objective is to find out as much of this prophecy as you can and report it back to the Justice League as soon as possible," Bruce stated, his voice assuming the severity it always did when Bruce doled out missions, "Do you understand?"

Robin couldn't help but be shocked. He had to go to another _planet? _But it was the perfect opportunity to let the Justice League (and Batman) know what he could do. That he would be competent at his job.

"Yes," replied Robin, "Will the Justice League look over Jump City while I'm away?"

"Of course. Find out what you can. I've tracked your location, the ship will be there in an hour. Be ready by then."

The_ beep _signaled the end of his call.

"Beastboy!" he called, running out to Beastboy's room, forgetting he was in his white T-shirt and boxers and looked nothing like his usual heroic self.

After banging on his door for a good five minutes, the changeling opened the door, looking as groggy as he had prior to his conversation with Bruce. He too looked rather disheveled and could barely form a coherent sentence asking Robin what was going on.

"Beastboy, we are going to another planet in in 50 minutes," announced Robin with a satisfied smile, "We're on a mission from the Justice League."

This got his attention. His eyes widened in awe and all he managed to do was squeak, "Dude!"

Robin couldn't help feeling even more satisfied at this boy's reaction. "Get ready, we leave at 7:30 sharp."

As he turned to leave, Beastboy called after him, "I know this base is supposed to be secret and all...but I think we should bring Cy along."

"Who?" Robin asked, not relishing having to deal with another Beastboy.

"He's been my friend for a long time and he's great with all kinds of technology. He could really help if anything goes wrong," offered the boy in an uncharacteristically wise tone of voice.

"Uh, sure, give him a call."

"Dude! YES! It's gonna be so fun! Do aliens look like us?" he asked, reverting back to a child once more.

Robin shook his head, "Call your friend and pack up about a week's worth of things. If we stay longer, we can just wash what we have."

* * *

><p>Raven was dressed in a heavy, shimmering silver dress. The light silk fabric had been sewed with silver thread, making the dress feel heavier than it ought. It had intricate swirling designs. Also embedded in the embroidery were small amethysts. The dress opened in the middle to a small, triangular purple silk section that started near her waist and grew as it touched the floor. Her small silver crown of twisting, stylised vines sat atop her short, ebony hair.<p>

Nervous, she entered the ostentatious meeting room. All of the members of the Azarathean Parliament, which numbered 50, were seated at a long mahogany table that had intricate silver inlays. The room, however, glittered with silver. Silver coated the tall marble pillars that framed the room. The floors were wood with silver vine inlay. On the ceiling were paintings depicting Azarathean history and modelled after Earth's classical paintings and works from Greece and Rome. Raven smiled softly, remembering how Rorek described his perceptions of Azarath.

_"It borrows heavily from Earth, but refines it, keeps only the best and drops the ugly and superfluous." _

She agreed with the idea at the time, however, this gaudy display showed that Azarath didn't always edit the superfluous out. Sure it served to display the wealth of the Azarathean Empire, however, this was the wrong room to do it with. Few people were ever in this room.

Then again, this might work to her advantage. After all, she had worn silver to subtly remind them of her power and regal status. Perhaps it was best they were housed in this room, on her grounds, reminded that she was not just a figurehead.

She walked over to the empty seat at the head of the table and waited before sitting until all the members of parliament rose to address her. Satisfied, she remarked, "You may sit."

They sat back down once she had sat in her small throne. Her chair was almost coated in so much silver adornments that the mahogany could be seen in only a few places, quite the contrast to the demure, wooden chairs they sat in. The only decoration on theirs was the stylised vine inlays that climbed the legs of the chairs.

Before the processions began, Raven had her servants bring out her best wine from the National cellars and refreshments for the guests. Wine would lower their defences, making them more tractable. Of course, to them, her feeding and hosting them was only a sign of her hospitality, most were not shrewd enough to understand what she was doing.

"So, I have summoned you all here to discuss the contract that I have drawn up and signed with the Tameranean Princess. Her people require aid against Scath, a foe we should not trifle with. We need to decide how many soldiers to send," she began.

"Or if we should send any at all," came the smooth, accented voice of Malchior. Raven hated him sometimes, he was brilliant with government affairs and almost always opposed her proposals.

"Yeah, why should we help their lot?" asked another minister boisterously. Raven sighed, where one went, others were soon to follow. She had hoped these proceedings wouldn't take long, however, when fifty one people got to bickering, things often took awhile to sort out. Still, looking him over, his agreement did not give Malchior any advantage. His face was flushed, it was clear that he had no qualms about taking advantage of her have-as-many-glasses-as-you-want policy. The drink was already affecting him.

She sighed, "Trigon is a powerful daemon who, our monks predicted would attack our own soil. If we can strike a strong blow while he is not on our planet, we will accomplish two important goals. First, we will weaken the army he has when he attacks us. Second, all of the damage will not be on our soil. We will not have to worry about rebuilding or evacuating people. We will not have the aftermath to deal with."

They chewed this over for a moment before Malchior- _of course him_- decided to argue further. She recognised the bubble of anger that threatened to surface and silently chanted her mantra in her head. _Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos._

"He can replenish his armies faster than we can with ours. Does that not concern you?"

"No," she replied, "And here's why. The Tameranians are a strong people and have many allies. If we help them now, we can call upon what is left of their army and ask them to call upon their allies to help us in our times of need."

"The allies that won't help them now?" He asked, innocently.

She narrowed her eyes, "The girl did not seek allies elsewhere. She sought us out because we are uniquely equipped to deal with them. It will give us a chance to slim down Trigon's army and it will give our armies first-hand experience dealing with daemons, which will prove invaluable if they do attack Azarath. Furthermore, we have made an alliance with Tameran. All of you agreed unanimously to this. When a promise is made, it ought to be kept.

The contract I signed non-withstanding, our alliance with Tameran dictates we must come to her aid in times of need. We have made this promise, one we should uphold. If we did not think the alliance was beneficial enough to warrant going to war for them, we should not have signed."

She heard murmurs of agreement.

"Any other concerns before we press forward?" she asked, satisfied with her progress, "No? Good. Let's move on. How many soldiers should we send?"

"We should send only a token force; what if we need our men?" commented another member who had recently been promoted. _It explains his hesitation..._

"No. Sending a token force would be more offending to the people of Tameran than sending no one. We are either committed or we are not. I vote we send 50,000 warriors and 200 maegi."

"That's a third of our army!" Blanched the drunk man from earlier.

"Exactly. A sizeable number to augment the Tameranian forces while retaining the majority of soldiers on our soil in case of attack," she calmly explained, trying to look as though she took the man seriously.

"You don't think Tameran will consider that a token force? They will not be happy with less than 45% of our army, if we are being honest," quipped Malchior.

Raven grunted, there was a small kernel of truth to the statement.

"But since we've decided sending the army is a good idea, we should send the 67,770 men," he added.

Raven nearly gaped, since when was he on her side. Perhaps he would ask her for a favour later and wanted to get in her good graces? _What are you playing at?_

"Does anyone challenge this?" Raven asked. She was surprised that the room all agreed. _This is certainly rare..._

"Okay. Derryc, you shall make sure that these men are equipped with our finest arms and armour. Malchior, arrange for their transport to Tameran."

Both men nodded, committing to carry out her requests.

"Is there anything else that anyone would like to bring to the table?"

"Actually, I have some boundary disputes with, uh, several lesser lords who keep encroaching on my territory."

_And to think I hoped to get out of here before nightfall... _she sighed, motioning for her servants to bring in lunch, it was going to be awhile longer.

* * *

><p>They all gaped at the magnificent ship in front of them. The stairs lowered automatically and the three of them climbed inside. It was large and had 9 empty seats along with a wide selection of freeze-dried food, state-of-the-art GPS system, solar reflectors to charge the ship, extra fuel and an excellent array of missiles, guns, rays, and shields. Batman's face on the GPS screen brought them away from their ogling.<p>

'_The coordinates have been entered in the system for you. Just select destination A to go and J to return.'_

"Will do," replied Robin, slipping into his 'leader-mode'.

Batman nodded and wished them luck before cutting the transmission.

"You guys ready?" Robin asked. Cyborg and Beastboy's nodding heads answered him in return.

"Cyborg, sit up here and help me fly this," commanded Robin, much to Cyborg's annoyance. Still, the opportunity to fly a high-tech ship outweighed the cost of picking an argument, so Cyborg kept silent, inwardly cursing the spiky-haired arrogant punk-ass kid.

Putting his headset on, Cyborg began to prepare the engines for take-off while Robin set their destination to Azarath.

* * *

><p>"You have summoned me?" came the hesitant question from the Tameranean princess.<p>

Raven nodded, "Please, take a seat, Kori'andr."

Once again, they spoke in Tameranean. Raven liked learning languages (and it was easy for her to do so as she could learn anything from slipping into someone's brain). She was fluent in Azarathean, English, Tamaranean, Japanese, Sanskrit, German, Latin, Ancient Sumerian and Arabic*. Speaking in someone's native tongue was always a subtle way to put others at ease. Of course, she didn't need to, she could force any particular emotion on someone if she wished*, but growing up in Azarath had endowed her with a cultural sensitivity as well.

"I have news for you. This charter proclaims Azarathean aid in the numbers of 67,770 soldiers and maegi to your cause. These are the best of our army and the best we can provide at this time," declared Raven, handing the sealed document over to Kori'andr.

"I thank you for helping us in our time of trouble."

Raven nodded, acknowledging that she had, in fact, heard the girl's statement.

"We will deploy our forces in 3 days-we need time to equip them. Luckily, with the monks here, we can teleport the army to you," Raven informed, "In the meantime, take that message to your king and warn him that Azarath may need his aid soon as well."

Kori nodded eagerly and gave another relieved thank-you before taking her leave.

"At least you were able to help her," came Rorek's smooth voice, almost causing Raven to jump. _Honestly, I must meditate soon _she mused.

Raven nodded wearily, allowing her shoulders to slump. She was exhausted.

Rorek's gaze softened, "I was going to instruct you to work on the glamour, however, some rest before dinner might be better."

Nodding in agreement, Raven replied, "Yes, I think I'll do that, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all, I'll be awake and receive any visitors or news while you're asleep."

Raven smiled softly, "Thanks." She then shuffled off to her room, changing into night clothes and collapsing on her bed. However, her relief was short lived. Not long after drifting off, Rorek bolted in her room.

"Get up, we have intruders!"

Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, she replied with the ever eloquent, "huh?"

But Rorek moved quickly. He tossed clothes at her and instructed her to get dressed. She quickly did so before following her panicked guardian out of her quarters.

* * *

><p><strong>*Both of these bits of information I found on the Wiki pages for Raven (both cartoon and comic). The Cartoon page was oddly specific with the languages it included so I included them above with a few others (like Azarathean- I think in the series they speak English as they are human, however, I decided to make a separate language since the society is unique). I think I read somewhere that Raven spoke Japanese in the comics, so I added it to the list as well.<strong>

**I know it's a bit short but I wanted to put something up for this story since it's one of my favourites and hasn't been updated in awhile. Hope you all enjoy!**

**~RukiaRae**


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